How Old Is That Commuter?

It’s interesting to see how distance is sometimes measured in time
rather than in length. When it comes to how far one drives to work versus
how long it takes to get there, we probably more often talk about the distance
as it relates to time. It’s possible to get to downtown Indianapolis
from the northwest in no time traveling down I65. Listening to traffic reports
though, one would probably need to leave quite a bit earlier to make it downtown
from somewhere like Fishers.

If you’ve ever wondered which age group has the longest commutes and
which has the shortest, you might be surprised to find that the answer for
both is the same. It seems that, of the 2,812,223 employed Hoosiers between
ages 16 and 64 who were commuting an hour or more to work in 2000, 40- to
44-year-olds make up the largest group. Of those commuting fewer than 15 minutes,
this same group is again the largest. Taking a look at all commuters between
the ages of 16 and 64, one finds that the 40- to 44-year-olds make up the
largest group in general (see Figure 1). Figure 2
shows the percent breakdown of the shortest and longest commutes by age group.

Historical Censuses Make Good Reading

Did you know that there are actually pages and pages of text, illustrations
and maps in the historical census publications? It’s true. Some of these
have been scanned by the Census Bureau and are available online. For example,
the 10th census (1880) includes a discussion about early iron enterprises
in Indiana and Indianapolis. George K. Greene writes that around 1840 “an
iron furnace was erected by Randall Ross, of Virginia, on the lands of George
Adams, of Monroe County … The investment soon proved a failure, and
the furnace has long gone to decay. The ruins of the ‘old iron furnace’
are today the mournful monument of an early spirit of enterprise that deserved
a better fate.” The ninth census (1870) includes historical notes on
the formation of the territory and state of Indiana. According to the notes,
in 1804, “the District of Louisiana, being all of the French cession
west of the Mississippi River except the present state of Louisiana, was committed
to the government of the officers of the territory of Indiana.” The
scanned documents can be found at www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html,
and an index to Indiana-related information found in the 1810 to 1880 censuses
is at www.in.gov/library/isdc.htm.

Update on the American Community Survey

The last issue of IN Context reported the uncertain status of the American
Community Survey (ACS) due to a possible cut in funding for the program. However,
since then the ACS received $146 million for fiscal year 2005 and implementation
began in January 2005. The funding allows the Census Bureau to conduct a short-form-only
census in 2010 and provide the nation with socio-economic information every
year instead of once every 10 years.

Beginning in 2005, a rolling sample of households in all U.S. counties,
Puerto Rico and other outlying areas will receive questionnaires each month.
The survey collects demographic, socio-economic and housing data—just
like data from the long-form questionnaire that has been collected every 10
years. The $146 million is $19 million less than what the president requested,
so the implementation of the ACS in group quarters (e.g. college dorms, prisons,
nursing homes) will not begin until 2006.

Under the current timetable, data will be available for areas with more
than 65,000 inhabitants beginning in the summer of 2006, for areas with 20,000
or more in the summer of 2008, and for all areas—down to census tract
level—by the summer of 2010.

By 2010, we will no longer have to wait a decade for up-to-date statistics
on our communities. The ACS will provide an annual moving “snapshot”
of community characteristics. This will allow legislators, community leaders
and businesses access to current data to address a wide range of pressing
social and economic issues. To find out more about the ACS, go to www2.census.gov/acs2004/.

The Indiana Data Center Program is a partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau
between the Indiana State Library, the Indiana Business Research Center and
the Indiana Department of Commerce. There are 57 affiliated data centers throughout
Indiana to help assist people locally with their use of census data.